Update: Coral Bay hit and run murder trial begins

A 35 year old appeared before Paphos Criminal Court on Friday on charges of premeditated murder and attempted murder after a hit and run at Coral Bay in June which led to the death of one Briton and the injury of another.

The court ordered that he appear on September 19 to answer the charges. He remains in police custody.

Defence lawyer Savvas Matsas told the court today that a large number of statements were missing from the evidence, while the results of the blood tests of the accused and the victims have still not been sent. Also pending are the medical report on the accused, photographs from the scene and copies of CCTV footage from inside and outside the pub.

State prosecutor Andreas Kadjikyrou said that evidence, such as reports from the State Lab, were still pending.

The court set September 19 for the defendant to enter his plea.

A 23 year old woman who was with him that night was released without charge and is expected to appear as a witness for the prosecution.

The hit and run occurred on a road at Coral Bay in the early hours of Sunday June 24 as Charlie Birch, 39, from Welshpool and his friend William Pritchard were walking home. The driver of the car later drove the car into the sea Ayios Yiorgios fishing shelter.

Earlier that night the two men had intervened to help the woman when she being assaulted by the defendant.

Eye witnesses told police that immediately after the incident, she had jumped out of the car shouting ‘”you killed them, I do not want to go to jail.”

Fishermen who helped rescue her after the defendant drove into the sea and left her there without trying to help told police that she was in a state of shock.

A number of tributes were paid to the father of two following his death, and a large funeral recently took place in Welshpool, the Shropshire Star reported.

An area of memorial was set up in Welshpool for people to pay their respects, and a fundraising page was set up by a member of the public to raise money for his daughters, it added.